By Erich R. Ebel
On Thursday, Jan. 20, Senators Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, and Joseph Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, will announce a package of legislation aimed at reducing fraud and abuse of taxpayer-funded state programs and services. The announcement will take place at 10 a.m. in the ABC conference room, located on the first floor of the John A. Cherberg (JAC) Building in Olympia.
Carrell has made the identification and elimination of fraud and waste in state government one of his primary goals for the 2011 session. Earlier this year, Zarelli appealed to front line state employees as well as the general public to help identify areas of state government that are rife with fraud or abuse, as well as contribute ideas to help reform the way state government delivers programs and services. To date, he has received well in excess of 7,500 responses; some of the proposals to be announced Thursday stem from those ideas.
Carrell is the deputy Republican leader of the Senate Republican Caucus and serves on the Senate Human Services and Corrections, Judiciary and Health and Long-Term Care committees. Zarelli is the ranking Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee